Volume XV No.III. A Monthly Publication of the PHILIPPINE STATISTICS AUTHORITY - CORDILLERA ADMINISTRATIVE REGION
March 2015
Price Situation in the Cordillera
Consumer Price Index (CPI)
The Consumer Price Index of CAR in March, 2015 was 138.3, higher by 3.3 from last
year’s 135.0.
Generally, there was an increase in the CPI of all the provinces due to the increase in the
average prices of goods and services.
Table 1. Consumer Price Index by Province, CAR:
March, 2014 and March, 2015
(2006=100)
Province
March
Index Point
Change
2014
2015
CAR
135.0
138.3
3.3
Abra
129.1
130.0
0.9
Apayao
127.7
130.2
2.5
Benguet
136.0
141.1
5.1
Ifugao
140.6
141.8
1.2
Kalinga
132.4
132.7
0.3
Mt. Province
139.5
142.3
2.8
Among provinces, Mt. Province posted the highest CPI at 142.3 followed by Ifugao at
141.8 and Benguet at 141.1. On the other hand, Abra posted the lowest at 130.0.
In terms of index point change, Benguet reported the highest at 5.1 while Kalinga was
lowest at 0.3.
The Consumer Price Index is the general measure of the change in the average retail
prices of a market basket or collection of goods and services commonly purchased by
the average Filipino household.
CPI SPECIAL RELEASE
PSA - CORDILLERA
2
Table 2. Consumer Price Index by Commodity Group and by Province, CAR:
March, 2015
(2006=100)
Commodity Group
Province
CAR
Abra
Apayao
Benguet
Ifugao
Kalinga
Mt.
Province
All Items
138.3
130.0
130.2
141.1
141.8
132.7
142.3
Food and Non-Alcoholic
Beverages
150.3
138.4
146.4
156.5
150.5
140.6
151.4
Alcoholic Beverages &
Tobacco
186.9
194.8
186.5
190.3
175.6
190.9
168.1
Clothing and Footwear
128.3
139.7
115.6
123.3
144.9
119.1
144.1
Housing, Water, Electricity,
Gas and Other Fuels
130.7
111.7
104.9
143.4
130.8
110.2
129.5
Furnishing, Household
Equipment and Routine
Maintenance of the House
127.4
121.7
113.4
131.5
116.9
132.3
133.5
Health
129.2
119.3
109.7
135.3
113.9
125.7
131.4
Transport
129.6
148.5
114.9
127.3
131.9
142.5
122.5
Communication
83.1
111.3
77.7
79.9
99.1
77.9
86.3
Recreation and Culture
107.3
107.4
115.6
104.5
106.3
113.5
110.4
Education
147.4
143.8
140.9
138.3
155.8
157.3
175.5
Restaurants
and Miscellaneous Goods
and Services
126.6
114.8
132.3
124.9
144.7
127.2
133.3
CPI by Commodity Groups
Among the commodity groups, under Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco, Abra had
the highest consumer price index at 194.8 followed by Kalinga and Benguet at 190.9
and 190.3, respectively.
Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages came next with Benguet having the most at
156.5 followed by Mt. Province at 151.4.
Education had the third highest index by commodity group with Mt. Province having
the most at 175.5 followed by Kalinga at 157.3.
Communication had the lowest consumer price index. Abra posted the highest index
at 111.3 while Apayao had the lowest at 77.7.
Across provinces, Apayao posted the lowest index except for Food and Non-
Alcoholic Beverages, Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco, Recreation and Culture; and
Restaurants and Miscellaneous Goods and Services.
By index point change, Education recorded the highest change at 6.6 index. This was
followed by Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco and Food and Non-Alcoholic
Beverages at 4.7 and 4.4, respectively.
The rest of the commodity groups reported a minimal annual increase in their index
point change. Transport had a negative percent change.
3
Note:
1
includes Household Equipment and Routine Maintenance of the House
2
includes Miscellaneous Goods and Services
Inflation Rate
The Inflation Rate of CAR in March, 2015 was 2.4 percent, lower by 0.3 percentage
points from last year’s Inflation Rate.
Benguet posted the highest rate of 3.7 percent, followed by Apayao and Mt. Province,
both at 2.0 percent. On the other hand, Kalinga posted the lowest Inflation Rate at
0.2 percent.
March, 2015 Inflation Rate in all provinces is lower compared to last year except for
Benguet that increased in its inflation rate. It showed that the rate of change in the
average prices in Benguet is fast compared with the provinces that decreased in their
inflation rates.
Figure 2. Year-on-Year Inflation Rates by Province, CAR:
March, 2014 and March, 2015
(2006=100)
Figure 1. Year-on-Year Consumer Price Index by Commodity Group,
CAR: March, 2014 and March, 2015
(2006=100)
138.3
150.3
186.9
128.3
130.7
127.4
129.2
129.6
83.1
107.3
147.4
126.6
135.0
145.9
182.2
125.0
126.9
126.3
128.4
132.5
83.1
107.1
140.8
123.4
0
50
100
150
200
All Items
Food & Non-
Alcoholic Beverages
Alcoholic Beverages
& Tobacco
Clothing &
Footwear
Housing,
Water,Elec., Gas &
Other Fuels
Furnishings1
Health
Transport
Communication
Recreation and
Culture
Education
Restaurant2
March 2015 March 2014
2.7
2.1
5.1
1.7
4.1
5.3
4.1
2.4
0.7
2.0
3.7
0.9
0.2
2.0
0.0
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
6.0
CAR Abra Apayao Benguet Ifugao Kalinga Mt.
Province
March 2014 March 2015
-2.9
4
By Commodity Group, Year-on-Year
The annual inflation for All Items in the Cordillera was 2.4. Among the regions, CAR
had the higher annual gains.
By commodity, the year-on-year growth of the heavily-weighted Food and Non-
Alcoholic Beverages index in the Cordillera was 3.0 percent. Alcoholic Beverages
and Tobacco; Clothing and Footwear; Furnishing, Household Equipment and Routine
Maintenance of the House; Health and Communication decreased in their inflation
rates. Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels and Restaurants and
Miscellaneous Good and Services increased in their inflation rates. Recreation and
Culture and Education indices remained compared to the previous years’ indices.
Transport had a negative index although it increased in its inflation rate.
Table 3. Year-on-Year Inflation Rates by Commodity Groups,
CAR: March 2015 and February 2015
(2006 = 100)
Commodity Group
Inflation Rates
March
February
All Items
2.4
2.2
Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages
3.0
2.9
Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco
2.6
3.7
Clothing and Footwear
2.6
2.7
Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels
3.0
2.2
Furnishing, Household Equipment
& Routine Maintenance of the House
0.9
1.2
Health
0.6
0.8
Transport
-2.2
-2.5
Communication
0.0
0.1
Recreation and Culture
0.2
0.2
Education
4.7
4.7
Restaurants and Miscellaneous Goods and Services
2.6
2.5
5
By Commodity Group, Month-on-Month
In the region, the inflation rate for All Items was at 0.0 percent during the month
compared to the previous month. The Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages index also
decreased at -0.3 percent. There was no change in the inflation rates for the
following commodity groups: Furnishing, Household Equipment & Routine
Maintenance of the House, Communication and Education.
Table 4. Month-on-Month Inflation Rates by Commodity Groups,
CAR: March 2015 and February 2015
(2006 = 100)
By Food Items, Year-on-Year
Generally, for the year-on-year inflation rates of selected food items for the region,
there was decrease for some food items. There was an annual increase in the other
food items. Fruits index resulted in a two-digit value and had the highest increase of
3.0 in its inflation rate from 11.4% to 14.4%.
Oils and Fats remained in its inflation rate.
Commodity Group
Inflation Rates
March
February
All Items
0.0
-0.3
Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages
-0.3
-0.6
Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco
0.2
0.4
Clothing and Footwear
0.1
0.2
Housing, Water, Electricity,
Gas and Other Fuels
0.5
-0.3
Furnishing, Household Equipment
& Routine Maintenance of the House
0.0
0.0
Health
0.0
0.1
Transport
0.5
0.4
Communication
0.0
0.0
Recreation and Culture
0.1
0.0
Education
0.0
0.0
Restaurants and Miscellaneous
Goods and Services
0.2
0.1
6
Table 5. Year-on-Year Inflation Rates of Selected Food Items,
CAR: March and February 2015 and 2014
(2006 = 100)
*Includes flour, cereal preparation, bread, pasta and other bakery products
Purchasing Power of the Peso (PPP)
The value of the peso in CAR dropped to 72 centavos from last year’s 74 centavos.
Meaning, that market value of goods and services worth 72 centavos in March, 2006
were bought at one peso in March, 2015.
Compared to March, 2014, the Purchasing Power of the Peso of four provinces
decreased. Abra and Ifugao remained in their PPP.
Abra and Apayao had the highest peso value, both at 77 centavos followed by
Kalinga at 75 centavos. On the other hand, Mt. Province had the lowest peso value at
70 centavos.
Food Items
2015
2014
Inflation Rates
March
February
March
February
Current
Previous
Bread and Cereals
150.9
151.0
145.8
145.1
3.5
4.1
Rice
146.7
146.8
141.2
140.6
3.9
4.4
Corn
156.9
157.2
155.2
152.1
1.1
3.4
Other Cereals*
165.1
165.1
161.5
160.4
2.2
2.9
Meat
134.1
134.3
131.1
130.9
2.3
2.6
Fish
162.6
162.5
156.1
157.1
4.2
3.4
Milk, Cheese and Eggs
134.0
133.5
131.6
131.6
1.8
1.4
Oils and Fats
178.4
178.1
176.9
176.7
0.8
0.8
Fruits
190.1
190.0
166.1
170.6
14.4
11.4
Vegetables
158.0
162.5
162.3
169.3
-2.6
-4.0
Sugar, Jam, Honey,
Chocolate &
Confectionery
132.8
133.2
129.6
129.5
2.5
2.9
Food Products, N.E.C.
169.8
170.3
158.5
155.5
7.1
9.5
Figure 3. Purchasing Power of the Peso by Province, CAR:
March, 2014 and March, 2015
(2006=100)
0.74
0.77
0.78
0.74
0.71
0.76
0.72
0.72
0.77
0.77
0.71
0.71
0.75
0.70
0.66
0.68
0.7
0.72
0.74
0.76
0.78
0.8
CAR Abra Apayao Benguet Ifugao Kalinga Mt.
Province
March, 2014 March, 2015
7
Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a general measure of the change in the average retail prices of a market basket
or collection of goods and services commonly purchased by the average Filipino household.
Inflation Rate (IR) is the rate of change in the average price level between two periods (year-on year/month-on-
month as measured by the CPI).
Purchasing Power of the Peso (PPP) measures how much the peso in the reference year is worth in another
year.
Base Year (BY) is the reference point of the index number series, at which the index number is set to zero.
Market Basket (MB) is a sample of goods and services used to represent all goods and services produced or
bought.
For more information, please contact:
Mail: PSA - CAR, Regional Office
3/F CTLL Building
141 Abanao Extension, Baguio City
Tel. Nos.: (074) 442-7449
Telefax No.: (074) 443-7763
Email: socd_psacar@yahoo.com
nso-car@pldtdsl.net
nsocar_statistical@rocketmail.com
Explanatory Notes